Nick Dennis
WCHA UK
Over the August Holiday weekend here in the UK I organised a UK Chapter meeting on the Thames where we were hosted by Delia and Roger Etherington at Bolney Ferry Boathouse which gives us camping and access on the banks of the River Thames in south Oxfordshire to the west of London. A fabulous location from where we can paddle the Thames, River Lodden, The Hennerton Backwater and St Patricks Stream. There is the added advantage of a pub upstream and Henley town downstream.
Sam and I shared a lift and we loaded a pair of Chestnuts onto my trailer. They were from both ends of the canoe building timeframe for the Chestnut Canoe Co. Sams an early pre-fire 12' Chestnut Teddy from about 1910ish; mine one of the last produced, a 16' Chestnut Deer from 1978/79 with a vinyl "canvas". I had given it a lick of paint to spruce the UV'd finish up a bit so this was a test to see if the paint had bonded well. I can safely say that it had as I did not leave a red slick down the Thames!
We arrived just after lunch. the Bower family were already there with their OT Charles River so having set up camp we went for an afternoon paddle to.............THE PUB!
As the beer flowed others eventually arrived until we had a flotilla at the George & Dragon. Eventually as evening was drawing in we set to leave but at that one point one pair decided to tip their Peterborough Cedar rib over dumping them without ceremony into the Thames. Fortunately the pub garden was devoid of folks so the event passed without the normal jeering and laughter which normally accompanies these events. That will teach folks to sit and perch on thwarts and not get their CoG low in the canoe. A hasty retreat to basecamp with a hot shower, plentiful tea and a fish and chip supper and the world was put to rights.
The Saturday saw the campers up early with the mist and the noisy Parakeets which have made this area their home. We awaited the arrival of David Millward who was coming up from the south coast. When he arrived we hatched a plan and set off up the Hennerton Backwater. David as you can see paddles a canoe in a way that only David can; there were two fears ahead for me as trip organiser; a low bridge and increasing wind strength.
The canoes we had out were:
Sam- Pre-fire Chestnut Teddy
Me- Chestnut Deer
Ben & Laura- 1911 Charles River
John & Sue- 1930s Peterborough cedar rib (later replaced by a plastic fantastic Mad River for stability & to avoid another dunking!)
Alick- Modern Strip canoe
David-Lakefield Stripper
The forecast was sunshine and showers. So on clothing it was plan for the worse, hope for the best. We hadn't catered for torrential downpours!
TBC
Sam and I shared a lift and we loaded a pair of Chestnuts onto my trailer. They were from both ends of the canoe building timeframe for the Chestnut Canoe Co. Sams an early pre-fire 12' Chestnut Teddy from about 1910ish; mine one of the last produced, a 16' Chestnut Deer from 1978/79 with a vinyl "canvas". I had given it a lick of paint to spruce the UV'd finish up a bit so this was a test to see if the paint had bonded well. I can safely say that it had as I did not leave a red slick down the Thames!
We arrived just after lunch. the Bower family were already there with their OT Charles River so having set up camp we went for an afternoon paddle to.............THE PUB!
As the beer flowed others eventually arrived until we had a flotilla at the George & Dragon. Eventually as evening was drawing in we set to leave but at that one point one pair decided to tip their Peterborough Cedar rib over dumping them without ceremony into the Thames. Fortunately the pub garden was devoid of folks so the event passed without the normal jeering and laughter which normally accompanies these events. That will teach folks to sit and perch on thwarts and not get their CoG low in the canoe. A hasty retreat to basecamp with a hot shower, plentiful tea and a fish and chip supper and the world was put to rights.
The Saturday saw the campers up early with the mist and the noisy Parakeets which have made this area their home. We awaited the arrival of David Millward who was coming up from the south coast. When he arrived we hatched a plan and set off up the Hennerton Backwater. David as you can see paddles a canoe in a way that only David can; there were two fears ahead for me as trip organiser; a low bridge and increasing wind strength.
The canoes we had out were:
Sam- Pre-fire Chestnut Teddy
Me- Chestnut Deer
Ben & Laura- 1911 Charles River
John & Sue- 1930s Peterborough cedar rib (later replaced by a plastic fantastic Mad River for stability & to avoid another dunking!)
Alick- Modern Strip canoe
David-Lakefield Stripper
The forecast was sunshine and showers. So on clothing it was plan for the worse, hope for the best. We hadn't catered for torrential downpours!
TBC
